It can be underestimated and taken for granted the level of patience and empathy needed when taking on a care role, the role of rapport a powerful indicator as to whether the day will go well or not. Exploring the notion of care in his latest stand up piece, comedian Bilal Zafar looks back at his own personal experience of taking on the role of a care worker at the age of 21 in his show Care, offering an honest insight into what the role entails and the impact this has had on him years on.
Formed 25 years ago by a small group of artists as a response to the underrepresentation of visually impaired and blind artists on our stages, Extant have gone on to blaze the trail for disabled artists to receive arts training equipping them to succeed both on stage and off as well as creating various opportunities for artists to perform in plays reflecting their own experiences. Founding member Maria Oshodi and Artistic Director continues on with the company’s incredible legacy, introducing ‘Extant Evolve’, an initiative adamant on nurturing the leaders of tomorrow. Currently celebrating the company’s 25th anniversary, Maria tells us more about the company’s beginnings, continually working to achieve sustainable change, and what her hopes are for the company moving forward.
Receiving that impromptu message via social media from a former school friend, dependent on the relationship had with that particular person can drum up a range of memory and emotions, whether good, bad, or both. Decades pass, and with this, can bring a new formed feeling to maybe forgive, reconcile, start afresh, figure what’s going on within each other’s lives, the list goes on. An exploration of childhood bonds, memory, mental health, girlhood, school and the paths we choose to take following on from these formative years, Morgan Lloyd Malcolm‘s The Wasp takes us all back on a bumpy journey on that road to figuring out who we all are.
A crucial figure at the forefront of better representation within the arts, writer Titilola Dawudu has actively paved a formidable path with her Here Me Now series. Published in 2018, her book Here Me Now Volume One was made available to performers looking for monologues representative of their own cultural heritages, identities and experiences. The Hear Me Now Festival, comprising of various pieces from Black and South Asian artists in 2020 and the Hear Me Now Podcast in 2021 following on from the success of volume one. Currently, volume two looks to continue on from this incredibly necessary journey paved so far, with the release of the publication due for 25th August. Ahead of the release, Titilola tells us more about her Hear Me Now journey so far, working with Tamasha to create this crucial resource and what performers can expect from the book!
Hi Titilola, Hear Me Now Volume Two is now available to pre-order on various platforms for the 25th August. How are you feeling?
The ADCI (Authors with Disabilities & Chronic Illnesses) Literary Prize is now open, along with eight other SoA prizes. The 2023 Society of Authors’ Awards have opened for entries. Nine prizes are now open, searching for outstanding works of fiction, poetry, non-fiction and children’s books.
New Diorama announces that it will present no public programme for the rest of the year. The London studio – Currently The Stage Fringe Theatre of the Year 2022 and fresh from the acclaimed NDT Broadgate project and the hit Royal Court transfer For Black Boys… – will instead offer a moment of full artistic reset, aiming to rejuvenate theatre’s status quo.
Marking a 17 year journey so far, Cirque du Soleil’s Corteo, meaning a solemn procession, especially a funeral in Italian, makes a welcome return. Known typically for staging their productions at the Royal Albert Hall, the production will call the O2 home from the 13th to 17th July, bringing with them their trademark fusion of acrobatics and spectacle. Sadly forced to close in 2020 in response to the pandemic, Corteo up until that point had been enjoyed by over 9 million fans across 20 countries and 4 continents, this a testament to the show’s popularity. Working to ensure the tour post Covid runs smoothly, President of Cirque du Soleil’s Touring Shows Division Mike Newquist has seen the company through their toughest period so far, ensuring that their current UK, Ireland and International tour can once again be enjoyed by both loyal fans and newcomers alike. He tells us more about what his role involves, how the company have responded during and post pandemic and what audiences can expect from the show!
For second generation immigrants, questions of identity constantly arise, whether they’re overtly brought up or consciously contemplated. Inhabiting a new ground culturally, the integration of two or more cultures is a complex realm to get your head around, but one that many of us inhabit. An exploration of the immigration experience from the eyes of a father and son both originating from Egypt, but with the son having lived most of his life in the U.K., Mamet Leigh’s Give Me the Sun perfectly instils varied outlooks of this experience from two different generations.
